If you are the type of driver who gets a new car every few years, you may never need to worry about replacing the thermostat. If you are driving an automobile that is 10 years old or older, Padron Automotive advises that you are on the road to needing a new thermostat. The thermostat lasts about 10 years before it goes bad. Once it goes bad, you may notice one or more of the following problems listed below. It’s important to replace a faulty thermostat as soon as possible to avoid damaging your car, truck, or utility vehicle’s engine.
A Damaged Thermostat Housing
A thermostat can develop a slow leak through the coolant valve. This is the valve that the thermostat opens to release coolant into the engine. If the coolant is seeping out of a closed valve and puddling around the thermostat housing, it will damage it by corroding it and eating through it. If you look at your thermostat and see that it is corroded and rusty, you have a slow coolant leak.
A Coolant Leak on the Garage Floor
Eventually, the corrosion will eat through the thermostat housing enough that coolant will start to leak on your garage floor. Depending on the severity of the leak, you will either see coolant spots or a puddle of engine coolant. This will be toward the front of your engine. It’s important to have the coolant leak fixed right away to avoid damaging the engine by overheating it. The more coolant that leaks out of the thermostat the less coolant in the cooling system to reduce the engine’s temperature.
Strange and Erratic Engine Temps
Speaking of the engine’s temperature, if you have noticed strange and erratic changes to the temperature, this is a sign that the thermostat is malfunctioning. For example, your temperature gauge needle may fluctuate between hot and cold constantly because the thermostat is not releasing the coolant at the right time. Replacing the thermostat solves this problem.
A Constant Overheating Engine
Finally, the thermostat may fail to release the coolant into the engine when it needs it. When this happens, your engine will overheat every time you drive your automobile. In fact, the engine will overheat quickly because it is not getting coolant as it starts to warm up.
Call Padron Automotive in Topeka, KS, today to schedule an appointment if you suspect that your car’s thermostat is going bad. We will test the thermostat and replace it if necessary.
